Help required working out symptoms

Lady_Clarington

Morning all.

I'm currently battling an undiagnosed "stomach complaint" along with fatigue, eczema, and a very "lax" GP (of the if it hurts don't poke it variety rather than trying to work out WHY it hurts). I have tried to work out whether my diet could be linked to my stomach issues (bloating, SEVERE stomach cramps - the kind you can't even breathe through, loose & explosive bowel movements...) but I am struggling to work out what (if anything) is a possible trigger.

I am very confused over one thing which I hope as experienced people you'll be able to help me with (as hunting symptoms on the internet only ever seems to result in melodrama). Sometimes my stomach will flare up very soon after a meal (esp. the bloating) yet other times I am having attacks at 06:00 (Friday) or 03:00 (Sunday) in the morning - long after I have eaten.

Does this sound like they could both be food related to you? Or are we looking in the wrong place?

Many thanks.

mscarlet

Your symptoms sound EXACTLY like what I was going through before going gluten free. I went to several doctors, who only told me I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I tried following all the diet suggestions for IBS, but they didn't work very well for me. I had almost given up when my husband saw something about gluten insensitivity on TV and I did a good two week test. Success! The hard part is avoiding all the hidden wheat/gluten in products. It's a long road, but SO WORTH IT. Good luck!!!!

mandy623

Before I found out Gluten was my trouble, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and IBS. Drs just kept giving me drugs to try to fix the problem and it just kept getting worse, finally changed Drs and found one who said everything I was experiencing could be food related, she had me remove diary, wheat/gluten, corn and soy for 2 weeks, then reintroduce them back in one week at a time, the week I brought wheat/gluten back in all the symptoms flared back up.

If your current Dr won't work with you to try to find the source of your issues, keep trying to find a different Dr that will listen to you and try to find the source of the problem.

I have been Gluten free for about 10 yrs now and never felt better, no sign of Fibro at all and no IBS. It took about 6 months for my body to not have any symptoms after going gluten free. Now I can always tell if I've had gluten without knowing it like in a restaurant because the next day my body tells me so.

shar140

Echoing what both posts above said, try an elimination diet. I also notice that when I "cheat" or am accidentally glutened, my symptoms can vary, depending on source and amount ingested. Hence, sometimes it's immediate, vs sometimes it's the next day, or a couple days later when it's a full-blown reaction. And as Mandy mentioned, it could be more than just wheat - corn, soy, and dairy are other common ones.

tawanda6329

I had the same symptoms. Went to the doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong. After eliminating wheat & gluten, all my symptoms went away.

Lady_Clarington

Thanks for your replies, I was starting to think it was all in my head and that I was going a little crazy! I'll call the doctors again today and try to get an appointment (normally takes a week of calling them before you get better / get seen). Do you normally have a blood test or would the doctor put you onto the restricted diet and "see what happens"? (I'm in the UK)

arewethereyet

Before I found out Gluten was my trouble, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and IBS. Drs just kept giving me drugs to try to fix the problem and it just kept getting worse, finally changed Drs and found one who said everything I was experiencing could be food related, she had me remove diary, wheat/gluten, corn and soy for 2 weeks, then reintroduce them back in one week at a time, the week I brought wheat/gluten back in all the symptoms flared back up.

If your current Dr won't work with you to try to find the source of your issues, keep trying to find a different Dr that will listen to you and try to find the source of the problem.

I have been Gluten free for about 10 yrs now and never felt better, no sign of Fibro at all and no IBS. It took about 6 months for my body to not have any symptoms after going gluten free. Now I can always tell if I've had gluten without knowing it like in a restaurant because the next day my body tells me so.

I am glad I found this post! I started in March to remove gluten due to severe IBS, Reflux.....so bad at one point I was afraid I was going to be on disability. Went to Gastro, Neuro, PCP, Psych, Endo, ENT........a different script from each and every one! I don't want to take Prozac, anti nausea meds, anti spasm meds, pain meds, relpax, muscle relaxers, pepto bismal. how is any of this going to help me, I asked each of them.

I went GF on my own with a good probiotic and the severe IBS symptoms immediately began to get better. Didn't expect the migraines to get better and REALLY didn't expect my joint pain to go away!

Why I am glad to find this? I am GF for 3 months ............Ok wait.........I did go back on gluten for a week when the Gastro said that gluten wasn't the problem so I have been GF for about a 6 wk period again. This time I am staying this way because no matter what the doctors say, I KNOW my body!

If you say it took around 6 months to heal, I am newly motivated to stick this out in hopes I will never have the experience I had yesterday of being refused a bathroom key at the pier and almost being completely mortified in front of dining patrons :indifferent:

robin949598

My story sounds the same. It is a shame that we have to self-diagnose ourselves. You would think that doctors would consider an intolerance/allergy as a reason for all these symptoms.